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SENIOR DESIGNER

Lowney Architecture is a vibrant 30-person design-oriented architecture firm in downtown Oakland. We work on a variety of projects, with a focus on multi-family residential, mixed-use, and retail. We create beautiful places that advance the quality of life in their communities and with an environmentally aware approach. Our office culture is one of casual professionalism. We work hard and we push each other, but we never forget to have fun in the pursuit of excellence. We want you to enjoy working here.

We are seeking a highly qualified senior designer with in depth experience in multi-family housing projects with a minimum of 7-10 years of relevant professional experience. The ideal candidate has an in depth knowledge of constructability, is confident giving design presentations, is versatile with generating digital 3D design ideas, and has a diverse portfolio of clearly resolved built work. The position is full-time. Compensation is based on experience and skill-set. The successful candidate must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in Architecture – Master’s degree preferred

7-10 years of post-academic, professional design experience [at least 2 years of which is in mixed use residential and/or high-rise projects]

Extensive knowledge of architectural design, detailing, building materials and methods, building codes, and comprehensive understanding of the entitlement process

Applicants must excel in working collaboratively and effectively with the ability to lead fast-paced projects through all phases of project delivery, while fostering team spirit and an atmosphere of teaching and learning

Spotlight: Winston Win, President of AIA East Bay

In December of last year, Lowney employee Winston Win was officially pronounced president of AIA East Bay. After seven years of involvement in AIA, Winston has moved up the ranks to 2017 Board President of AIA East Bay. He has been a board member of AIAEB since 2014 and served as the Board Vice President last year. Winston's dedication to the organization shows through his capability and eagerness to organize and coordinate events, a quality that has been invaluable to Lowney Architecture.

Winston's goals for AIA in 2017 are to bring AIA programs to a wider audience, increase transparency and access for members of AIA, promote expanded participation, invigorate committees, and, of course, have fun! Winston stated in his President's letter to the community, "My goal is to continue successful programs, improve upon them and test new ideas this year. I am dedicated to an accessible, transparent, and engaging chapter for our community; a chapter that reflects our shared values, celebrates our diverse voices, and advocates well for architects and architecture." And we at Lowney Architecture have no doubt that he will do just that.

Congratulations Winston!

The Future of Oakland

This month, Ken Lowney spoke at a forum hosted by Bisnow regarding Oakland development trends. Along with other prominent industry experts, Ken explained the Bay Area's shift from traditional construction of multifamily housing to more compact housing with shorter construction times.

Ken explained that as construction and living costs continue to rise, so too does the popularity of modular housing in the industry. The resulting trend is the repositioning of living room space from inside to outside. Apartments have a smaller focus on living rooms, tenants have lower expectations of living spaces, and public space is more meaningful as a result. Shared workspace, open space, and semi-public space serve as substitutes to personal living rooms. In other words, as individual living spaces get smaller, not only are there increased pressures on public resources, but developers are paying more attention to the amenity portion of the program. Developers are more likely to include these spaces in the program while also becoming more creative in their programming.

This harmonious relationship between public and private space is creating a strong demand for mixed-use buildings in Oakland, thereby furthering the opportunities for unique design of public space. An example of this can be found at The Hive on Broadway as well as on the servers of Oakland architecture offices everywhere.

Hale Mahana Groundbreaking and Blessing

Today, the project site of Hale Mahana Collegiate Apartments had its groundbreaking ceremony and a traditional blessing from a Hawaiian Kahuna. Lowney Architecture's Ken Lowney and Brian Nee visited the site along with the Honolulu City Manager, University of Hawaii president, city council members, Laconia, and EDR.

The project, located at 2615 South King Street in Honolulu, Hawaii, will be home to nearly 600 students attending the University of Hawaii. At 14 stories high and with student amenities on the top floor, the project will have unparalleled views of the rest of the island. Additionally, the public will have access to retail shops on the first floor, as well as the 6,000 square feet of on-site public landscaping.

Happy Holidays from the Lowney Team!

Now Presenting: New Parking

Yesterday, Neil Gray from the City of Oakland came to our office to present the recently adopted revisions to the City of Oakland's off-street parking requirements. The Bay Area development community, including real estate agents, developers, brokers, and funders, gathered at our office to hear the presentation and ask questions about the new revisions.

A summary of these changes can be found on the City of Oakland's website, or by following this link.

We plan to host more events like this at our office in the future. You can find information about upcoming events on our Facebook page or here on our website.

Field trip to SFMOMA

This past Thursday, Lowney Architecture ventured out of the office and over to SFMOMA for some full-scale design inspiration. We took a guided tour of the Mario Botta building and Snøhetta addition, stopping in to appreciate the art exhibits along the way.

In the same trip, we stopped at Panoramic's office to experience the first of many MicroPAD units we have worked with Panoramic in designing, where we then answered the question, "How many architects does it take to fill an SRO unit?" (Answer: At least 18)

Afterward, we were treated to a beautiful dinner at Hakkasan, a Cantonese restaurant in the heart of San Francisco. (Highly recommend it!)

Publication: San Francisco Business Times
By Roland Li
Renderings: Jesse Duclos

The proposal is one of the largest among over a dozen highrise plans recently approved and proposed in Oakland. It would be the only one to combine residential and office space. No towers have yet started construction, but Lennar Multifamily's 1640 Broadway and Gerding Edlen's 1700 Webster St. have filed for building permits.

“We envision a vibrant mixed-use project along a major transit corridor that hits the trifecta of what Oakland needs right now,” said Ronnie Turner, a spokesman for Pinnacle Development Group and project consultant, in a statement. “Housing, office, and retail.”

In June, a pre-application was filed for a smaller 15-story tower at 1261 Harrison St., but the new, larger proposal will combine the adjacent parcel and span the northern half of an entire block.

Another Successful Tour

Lowney Architect Tony Valadez led a hard hat tour of Lowney's Chow Oakland on Saturday, September 24th. Participants learned about this unique project which includes a hybridized program: part food market, part restaurant, part café, and part commercial bakery, and which intentionally blurs the line between interior and exterior. The project is an adaptive re-use of and addition to an existing building with (almost) every type of construction represented: masonry, cast in place concrete, original wood and sheathing, new dimensional and engineered lumber, and existing and new steel. Construction is slated to be done in January 2017.